Grating material



2 Sheets-Sheet l J. w. HILL GRATING MATERIAL inrit- 11: I: :u:

July 2l, 1959 AFiled Deo. '7. 1954 JulyY 21, 1959 J. w. HILL GRATING MATERIAL 2 sheets-sheet 2 Filed Dec. 7,' 1954 BY www? (2&4, @ZM am M finite GRATING John W. Hill, Chicago, Ill., assignor to The Globe `Company, Chicago, lll., a corporation of Illinois The present invention relates vrto grating material and has special reference to grating material formed of individual elements fused together, More particularly this invention relates toa grating material comprising main supporting or load bars, which 4provide the main support for the material, arranged in spaced relation and Vconnected by diagonal or tie bars. The `tie `bars are positioned between adjacent load bars so as to contact the load bars at each side thereof at spaced intervals Vopposite the areas of contact of tie bars on the =,opposite sides of the load bars. Openings `are formed in the load bars in the areas contacted by the tie bars and the latter vare fused together through these openings forming a web carried by the load bars, which iixedly maintains the load 'bars in proper position normal to 4the `general plane of the grating material.

As the diagonal or tie lbars are connected -together through the lopenings in lthe load bars, they may be formed of materials or alloys different from vthose of which the load bars yare made. Itis therefore possible to have load bars of one material and the tie bars of an entirely different material which frequently may be substantially lighter. In this way the .weight of the] grating material may be substantially reduced without materially affecting its strength. While the load lbars and tie bars are preferably formed of metal, they maybe formed of plastic or any other suitable material having the requisite characteristics.

The load rbars are preferably Isubstantially I-shaped in cross section `with a central web Mportion and ange portions at opposite edges of the web portion. The tie bar constructions which contact the load bars are shaped to t between the opposed flanges of the lo-ad bars so as to 'be supported thereby and prevented from rotational movement with respect thereto. Asthe welds or fusings of the tie bars are located in the load bar openings, they are protected and may be sealed oftr from the outside atmosphere.

The load bars and tie bars are prefer-ably formed of continuous strips of the proper shape extending 'longitudinally of one dimension of the vgrating material the full length thereof. It is, therefore, only necessary ,to properly position the bars with respect Ito each other and then fuse the tie bars together to form the completed construction.

An object of the present invention is -to produce a strong, permanent grating material.

A further object is to produce -a grating material that may be relatively light for its high strength.

Another ,object is to provide .a .grating material in which the tie or diagonal members vrmay Vb@ formed lof materials different from thoseof ywhich the .load-supporting members are formed.

Still another object is .to provide a Vgrating material in which the diagonal members ,are fused .together through openings in the load-supporting members.

A still further object is to provide a grating material of the above type whiclimay :be rdlyfformed.

States Patent Y@ y if@ Further yobjects and advantages will be apparent from the following description and claims when considered with the drawings .in which:

Figure 1 is a .perspective view vof a grating material embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the grating material shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 isa crosssectiona1 view .taken on the line 32e-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross-sectional view .taken on the line 4--4of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is an exploded view ofcontacting portions of a tie bar and load'bar;

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view taken on the .line 6-6 of Fig. l;

Fig. 7 is aperspective view of a portion of a modied form of .load bar that may be employed, and

Fig. 8 is a perspective view Vof a portion ofanother form of Vload bar that Imay be Vemployed in formi-ng the grating of the vpresent invention.

Referring to the drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 thereof, there is shown ,grating material embodying the present linvention comprising load bars and diagonal ortie bars 12. The load bars 11 are preferably in the form of I-beams comprising a weby portion 13 Vand top and bottom ilanges 14 and 1S, respectively. These beams or bars support the grating material and, therefore, must be suiiiciently strong for this purpose. The load bars may be formedof metal such as steel or aluminum, or of any other suitable material, Iincluding certain plastics.

If desired, the upper ange may be made narrower than the lower flange, as indicated at 14a in Fig. y8, without substantially reducing -the strength of the load bars, as lthe strength thereof results primarily ufrom the resistance to tension at the `lower part ,of the bar. In some instances the upper flange may be done entirely away with, as shown in Fig. 7.

The load bars v11 are preferably made straight and arranged in Vspaced parallel relation extending longitudinally of one dimension of the material, usually the long dimension thereof. However, the load bars may run the short dimension of the material. The ,word longitudinally, as used -herein with respect to the load bars, is intended to cover a construction in which these members extend lengthwise of either the long or short dimension of the material.

The load bars 11 have openings 16 formed therein at spaced intervals for permittingv fusion therein of the diagonal bars 12. The openings `16 lfor lany one grating material are spaced a uniform distance,aparhdependent upon the surface pattern desired and the strength required, but the openings rin alternate hars are preferably oiset so yas to lie half -way between the aligned openings in the intermediate bars.

The diagonal or tie bars 12vmay lbe made Yof any suitable materialthat can be fused ftogether, and this may be entirely different from the materialof which the load bars are formed. However, 'the two materials should not be incompatible so as tolresult in electrolytic action between them. Each of the diagonalk or tie bars 12 .preferably comprises a single -elongated strip `vhaving a zigf zag shape, so that it will Contact the adjacent 'loadjbars 1,1 oneaclrside thereof at .spaced intervals. Thefcontact portions 17 ofthe tie bars are preferably iiat portions offset from, and .connected to, .the Vintermediateconneeting portions 12a of .the .diagonalbars lby side portions 18 substantially normal to fthe flat .contact portions '.17'.- As shown in the drawings, #the .connecting portions IZa are preferably-straight.

The ,contact portions 17 vare .of .a width .toiit Sbetween the `opposed surfaces of `the top and bottom flanges 14 and and are so spaced that they will overlie the web portions of the I-beams about the openings 16 therein. Thus, there is a pair of contact portions 17 abuttingV the opposite faces of the webs 13 about each of the openings 16. These opposed contact portions 17I are fused together through the openings 16. With this construction there is substantially no relative torsional or lateral strain on the portions fused together.

While each tie bar .preferably comprises a one-piece member of the type illustrated in Figs. l and 2, other forms of tie bar construction may be employed, providing that each one, whether integral or formed of a plurality of pieces, contacts the load bars on each side thereof to permit it to be fused to the tie members on the opposite sides of said load bars.

The connecting portions 12 of the tie bars project upwardly beyond the contact portions 17 and side portions 18 and their upper edges lie substantially in the plane of the top surfaces of said load bars. They, therefore, provide supporting surfaces for the material intermediate the load bars in addition to tying the material rigidly together. The upper edges of both the load bars and the tie bars may be serrated, as shown in Fig. 5, to provide a highly non-skid material. When this is done, the side edges of the upper flange are preferably bevelled to reduce the width of the serrated edge.

If load bars without any upper flange, such as those of the type shown in Fig. 7, are employed the tie bars preferably would be of a uniform width throughout and the upper edges of the connecting portions 12 and the upper edges of the contact portions 17 would all lie in the plane of the upper edges of the load bars.

In order to fuse the contact portions 17 of the diagonal members 12 together, a rounded boss 19 of substantially the same diameter as that of the holes 16 is formed on the outer face of each contact portion 17, such as by stamping and extends outwardly from the surface thereof a distance equal to one-half the thickness of the web 13. Thus, when the bosses 19 are inserted in the holes 16 from opposite sides thereof, they will contact at the center of the web. The diameters of the bosses 19 adjacent the contact portions 17 are slightly greater than the diameter of the openings 16 and converge slightly toward their outer ends.

If the diagonal members 12 are formed of steel, aluminum, or other weldable materials, they may be fused together by fusion welding. With steel, resistance welding is preferably employed and the contact portions 17 on opposite sides of the load bars are urged together by pressures on the order of several thousand pounds per square inch. The sides of the bosses 19 adjacent the contact portions 17 are forced tightly against the sides of the openings and seal the openings on opposite sides thereof in addition to forcing the bosses tightly together. The resulting Weld between the boss faces is thus sealed oif and protected from any source of oxygen.

A If the diagonal bars 12 are formed of aluminum, impulse welding is employed to weld them together, which also is accompanied by the use of pressures on the order of several thousand pounds per square inch applied successively at the same time as successive charges of current are passed therethrough. The welds made under high pressure tightly clamp the load bars between the contact portions 17 of the u'e bars.

, It is desirable to have the diagonal or tie bars in a grating of the same material and thickness to facilitate the welding or other fusing operation. However, the diagonals do not generally support the material but, when fused together through the openings in the load bars, create a web carried by the load bars. Accordingly, the diagonal bars may be of lighter gauge than the load bars and the choice of materials that may be employed in the two types of bars may be Widely varied.

The diagonal bars also cooperate with the load bars to. reducethe size of the spaces or openings between 4 the load bars and to form the surface pattern of the material. Accordingly, the connecting portions 12a of the tie bars extend upwardly above the contact portions 17 and the side portions 18 thereof so that their upper surfaces are in the same general plane as the upper surfaces of the load bars.

As the contact portions 17 of the diagonals 12 are positioned between the -top and bottom anges 14 and 15, or at least rest on the bottom ange 15, there is little or no tendency for any of the diagonals to rotate about the axis of the bosses 19 and thereby put a strain on the welds or fusings therebetween. The welds or fusings are further strengthened by the bosses 19 extending into and being supported by the sides of the openings 16.

For the purpose of securing contact portions 17 of the tierbars to the outer load bars A21 and 22 of the grating material, al continuous clamping strip 23 of the same material as the tie bars, and preferably of a width to t between the top and bottom flanges of the load bars, may be positioned over the outer surfaces of the webs 13 0f the outer load bars 21 and 22, as shown in Fig.V 6. These clamping strips are provided with bosses 24, similar to the bosses 19 on the contact portions 17, and are welded thereto to secure the outer load bars to the adjacent tie bars. If desired, a series of individual clamping'members positioned over the openings 16 in the outer load bars 21 and 22 having bosses thereon may be employed in place of the continuous strip 23.

When the tie bars and load bars are of the same material the outer load bars and adjacent tie bars may be directly fused together by any suitable means. However, in this case the outer load bars preferably are provided Withspaced depressions on the inner sides thereof, in which the bosses 19 on the adjacent tie bars t.

In forming grating material a continuous clamping strip 23 is positioned adjacent the outer side of the load bar 21 and a tie or diagonal bar 13 is properly positioned on the opposite side thereof, each of these three members preferably being of the same length and extending one dimension of the material being formed. The clamping bar is then Welded to the tie bar through the openings 16 in the load bar. Thereafter, a second load bar and an additional tie bar are positioned with respect to the first diagonal bar 13, and the second diagonal bar 13 is then fused to the iirst through the openings 16 in the second load bar. This process is continued until the grating material is built up to the desired size, when a second clamping strip 23 is positioned over the outer side of the last load bar and is welded to the diagonal bar on the inner side of this load bar.

'Ihe resulting grating material may have great strength relative to its weight and is rigidly held together to withstand heavy strains and loads without weakening or the parts becoming loose, even after long periods of time.

Moreover, the grating may be formed with the tic bars of one material and the load bars of another material or of different gauges and thicknesses of the same material. The formation of the grating by fusing the portions of the tie bars through the openings in the load bars expedites and simplifies the making thereof.

With the pressures applied to the diagonal members on opposite sides of the load bars during the fusing or welding, the load bars are tightly clamped and rigidly held in desired position normal to the general plane of the sheet.

While particular embodiments of this invention have been illustrated and described, it will be understood, of course, that the invention is not to be limited thereto, since many modifications may be made, and it is contemplated, therefore, by the appended claims, to cover any such modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced load-supporting bars having anges along the lower edges thereof and spaced openings extending transversely therethrough above said anges, and a plurality of sinuous tie bars positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars having substantially fiat contacting portions engaging said load bars on opposite sides thereof with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially lling said openings, and said tie bars having the lower edges of said contacting portions abutting the upper portions of said lower flanges.

2. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced load-supporting bars having flanges along the lower edges thereof and spaced openings extending transversely therethrough above said flanges, and a plurality of sinuous tie bars positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars having substantially flat contacting portions engaging said load bars on opposite sides thereof with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially lling said openings, and said tie bars having the lower edges of said contacting portions abutting the upper portions of said lower iianges with the upper edges thereof substantially in the plane of the upper edges of said load bars.

3. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced substantially I-shaped load-supporting bars having central web portions and upper and lower anges with spaced openings extending transversely through said web portions, and a plurality of sinous tie bars positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars having substantially at contacting portions engaging opposite sides of said web portions with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially lilling said openings, and said tie bars having their contacting portions tting between and abutting the upper and lower flanges of said load-supporting bars.

4. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced longitudinally extending substantially I-shaped load-supporting bars substantially normal to the general plane of the material having central web portions and upper and lower anges with spaced openings extending transversely through said web portions, and a plurality of sinuous tie bars positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars having substantially at imperforate contacting portions engaging opposite sides of said web portions with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially filling said openings, and said tie bars having their contacting portions fitting between and abutting the upper and lower anges of said load-supporting bars.

5. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced substantially I-shaped load-supporting bars substantially normal to the general plane of said material having central web portions and upper and lower anges with spaced openings extending transversely through said web portions, and a plurality of sinuous tie bars substantially normal to the general plane of said material positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars having substantially flat contacting portions engaging opposite sides of said web portions with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially lling said openings, and said tie bars having their corresponding edges at one side substantially in the plane of one surface of said material with their contacting portions itting between and abutting the upper and lower iianges of said load-supporting bars.

6. A grating material comprising a plurality of spaced substantially I-shaped load-supporting bars substantially normal to the general plane of said material having central web portions and upper and lower ilanges with spaced openings extending transversely through said web portions, and a plurality of sinuous tie bars substantially normal to the general plane of said sheet positioned between said load bars and connecting adjacent ones, said tie bars being formed of a material thinner than that of said load-supporting bars having substantially flat contacting portions engaging opposite sides of said web portions with bosses thereon extending into said openings from opposite sides, said bosses being fused together in and substantially completely filling said openings, and said tie bars having their corresponding edges at one side substantially in the plane of one surface of said material with their contacting portions tting between and abutting the upper and lower anges of said load-supporting bars.

References Cited in the Iile of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 727,234 Walker May 5, 1903 1,020,056 Ritezel Mar. 12, 1912 1,588,048 Price June 8, 1926 2,191,632 Smith Feb. 27, 1940 2,302,586 Thelan Nov. 17, 1942 2,319,455 Hardman May 18, 1943 2,366,151 Emerson Dec. 26, 1944 2,660,102 Tami Nov. 24, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 857,637 France Apr. 22, 1940 OTHER REFERENCES Publication: American City, November 1940, page 133. 

